NEW DELHI, 12 November 2016 – Parties to the global tobacco control treaty now possess the outline of a path toward faster implementation at country level of the lifesaving measures in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control*, despite mixed results from six days of negotiations.

In South-East Asia, “The tobacco industry continues to interfere with, deter and thwart governments' efforts to protect public health through both overt and covert means,” says a new report by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA).

Quick action by tobacco control advocates resulted in a representative from Japan Tobacco International (JTI) being dropped as a speaker at a meeting on investment policy hosted by the United Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Vanuatu has joined Nepal with the world’s largest graphic health warnings (GHWs) on tobacco packages, covering 90 percent of the pack surface.

Officials in Vanuatu responsible for the measure say that they also considered implementing plain packaging (packages stripped of all branding, including logos and colours) but there was concern of threat of legal action by the tobacco industry as has been the case for other countries such as Australia.

The 8 July trade tribunal decision upholding Uruguay’s cigarette labelling requirements was widely celebrated by tobacco control advocates. Philip Morris, the claimant, lost across the board in its efforts to stop Uruguay implementing 80-percent health warnings and to keep selling multiple version of its flagship Marlboro brand.